The Lakers have had a hard time during Christmas season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where their current record now stands at 3-7 with a recent Christmas loss to the Timberwolves at home.
Speculations arise that this may have been due to the trade rumors surrounding the team, as the NBA team from Los Angeles (LA) has even tried to trade Luol Deng. Jordan Clarkson, as well as Julius Randle, have also been brought up and may be on the slate for an imminent trade.
In fact, almost anyone in the whole team is available for a trade except three players including Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma, with the former two being forced out the Christmas games this season, costing the team some of their wins.
Apparently, the executives of the NBA and their business decisions for the team and for the season or the next are distracting the players, according to LA Lakers veteran Andrew Bogut. He expressed, "Everyone knows what is going on with the salary-cap situation next season and all that. That is just distractions that we can't let affect us. That is part of the league, the business decisions that front offices and coaches make. So if that is distracting guys, that is going to be like that your whole career. That is just the nature of this league."
Still, veteran players might be the only ones indifferent to the trade rumors. As for the younger athletes, some of them might even become nervous at the very first mention of them being part of a trade rumor. This could ultimately lead to them being distracted at the game.
As for the rumors regarding Jordan Clarkson's trade, Bleacher Report has confirmed that it may not be as plausible as some people might think since he currently has two years left from a four year $50 million deal with the Lakers. The same, however, can not be said for the rest of the players mentioned.
